the plateau
It looks as if we’ve plateaued. The newest generation of cameras are not significantly more advanced than their predecessors, the latest computers are not faster, and the most up to date softwares are not more capable. Sure there are some new features, and some minor technological improvements, but nothing as significant as what we’ve come to expect with product revisions. The 5D Mark III has seen very little change in overall picture quality to the 5D Mark II, and the same with the Nikon D4 to the Nikon D3. The newest generation of computers are not proportionally faster than a computer from even two years ago. And in the entire change log for Adobe Photoshop CS6, I see only convenience changes.
We have all the tools on hand, it might be awhile for the next ‘real’ generation of technology to arrive. I’ve read that computers have literally and physically hit a speed barrier. A processor can’t be made to go any faster without it burning to a crisp. Heat is the bottleneck. Until Intel develops a fiber optic or carbon processor, this is it folks.
Digital cameras have come such a far way, in fact, in digital’s early years, people didn’t use the cameras for quality but for speed and speed alone. But today, the digital camera has far surpassed film in quality completely. There is a certain nostalgia for the look of film, but not for it’s technical purity. And with every generation of digital camera, came remarkable and huge improvements. The most noticeable to me was the jump between the D2x to the D3. The change was so great, that it felt like there were generations missing between them (but Nikon does take their time in releasing their models…). And now with the most current generation, we see more changes in features and usability much more so than any difference in quality.
The same is true in software, as the general trend seems to be catering toward amateur features like photo book modules, and simpler adjustment tools. The tools themselves haven’t changed at all.
What would we change with our camera though? Do we want a bigger file size to deal with on our hard drive? Could we imagine less noise, or a sharper picture? Do we even need a faster computer to handle our workflows than what’s currently on the market? What more would we expect from any software?
I feel that not only have we hit a technological plateau, but also one of usability and need.